Matthews signs with Pacers

Wesley Matthews was not a free agent for long, signing with the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.

The 32-year-old wing player signed with the Pacers after he received a buyout from the New York Knicks, the team announced.

He inked a prorated veteran's minimum deal with Indiana, according to an earlier report from the Athletic.

Matthews was sent to New York from the Dallas Mavericks in late January as part of the Kristaps Porzingis trade. He was in the final season of the four-year, $64million deal he signed with Dallas in July 2015.

Matthews played just two games with New York and scored 14 total points on four-of-19 shooting.

The 10-year veteran is averaging 12.8 points and 2.3 assists in 29.7 minutes per game this season. He is shooting 40.6 per cent from the field and 37.4 per cent from three-point range.

Related items

James Harden says "rude and arrogant" Scott Foster should never be allowed to officiate the Houston Rockets again after the reigning MVP and Chris Paul fouled out in a defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Rockets went down 111-106 at Staples Center after they had led by 19 points midway through the third quarter on Thursday.

Harden extended his 30-point streak to 32 consecutive games before fouling out with a minute and 24 seconds remaining, and Paul followed him when he was called for a technical foul by referee Foster with 33 seconds to play.

A dejected Harden did not hold back with his criticism of Foster - who Paul complained about last season - after a third defeat in four for Houston.

"Scott Foster, man. I never really talk about officiating or anything like that, but just rude and arrogant." said Harden.

"You aren't able to talk to him throughout the course of the game and it's like, how do you build that relationship with officials?

"And it's not even that call [on the sixth foul]. It's just who he is on that floor. It's pretty frustrating and I'm probably going to get hit [with a fine], but honestly, I don't really say anything.

"I'm a pretty quiet guy, to myself, but it's one of those things where you can't voice your opinion. You can't have a conversation with someone that's officiating the game. You're getting a tech. It's pretty sad."

Harden added: "It's lingering, and it's something that has to be looked at, for sure. For sure, it's personal. For sure. I don't think he should be able to even officiate our games anymore, honestly."

The Milwaukee Bucks earned a 98-97 victory over the Boston Celtics in the NBA on Thursday.

Both the Bucks, the number one team in the East, and the Celtics – the team many thought would be number one by season's end — started out sloppily, likely shaking off the All-Star break cobwebs.

But they both came alive in the fourth quarter, swapping big defensive plays and clutch baskets to trade the lead several times in the final few minutes.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, who scored 30 and had 13 rebounds, made the play of the game down the stretch, chasing down Jayson Tatum to emphatically block a layup.

But the Celtics battled back to tie the score at 95 on a 29-footer from Al Horford with 54 seconds remaining. That set the stage for Bucks forward Khris Middleton to knock down a 27-foot three-pointer for the eventual game-winner.

The Celtics had one final chance, but Kyrie Irving missed a potential game-tying shot as time expired.

The Bucks (44-14) extended their lead over the second-placed Toronto Raptors, while the Celtics (37-22) remain fifth in the East.

Oklahoma City have won 11 of 13, with a red-hot Paul George (37.7 points per game in the last nine games) and Russell Westbrook (11 straight triple-doubles) leading the way. The balanced Jazz have seven players averaging in double figures, with Donovan Mitchell pacing the team with 22.4 points per game.